THE ECONOMIC RATIONALE OF NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN THE DELIVERY OF WELFARE SERVICES

Although the economic activity in a mixed economy is undertaken by the various kinds of organizations, only recently, the researchers have been paying attention to the forces influencing the size, composition and financial structure of the private non-profit organizations. With this paper, the authors want to add new evidence on the way European countries deal with the provision of welfare services, mostly focusing on the role played by the private non-profit sector. They are really interested in the relationship existing between the non-profit and public providers of education, health and social services in Europe. They will perform several empirical tests in order to know whether among the European countries, the non-profit and public sectors are 'partners' or 'rivals' in the provision of welfare services, and, whether such a relationship holds for the whole 17 European sample countries.